202 Knowlton — Problematic Organism from the Devonian. 



tion is referred to by Mr. C. Trotter, in Nature of 1886, Dec. 

 7.* May it not be that these disturbances were due to a slight 

 shifting or movement along a series of old planes of fractures, 

 taking place successively from south to north ; and, hence, 

 that even now changes of level may take place through the 

 same comprehensive cause that determined the existence of 

 the earth's feature lines ? Owing to the long distance of the 

 Tonga group from New Zealand an affirmative reply to the 

 question cannot be positively made. But there is probabil- 

 ity enough to give great interest to this branch of geological 

 enquiry. 



Art. XXIII. — Description of a problematic organism from 

 the Devonian at the Falls of the Ohio y by F. H. Knowl- 

 ton, XL S. National Museum. f 



On May 2, 1887, the Smithsonian Institution received from 

 Mr. John H. Lemon of New Albany, Floyd Co., Maryland, a 

 box of material collected by him at the Falls of the Ohio. The 

 material consists of a piece of very porous and highly fossilif- 

 erous chert about five inches square, and is accompanied by a 

 small phial containing what the sender describes as " small 

 shells which were picked from the dust of crushed Devo- 

 nian chert." The so-called shells may be seen in small num- 

 bers scattered through the matrix, thus leaving no doubt as to 

 the correctness of the assertion that they actually come from 

 the same horizon. 



The formation from which the material comes is the Corn if - 

 erous limestone of the Lower Devonian. It is, of course, a ma- 

 rine deposit, and the material examined contains, besides the 

 problematic organisms, numerous examples of two species of 

 coral (Zaphrentis sp. and Gladopora sp>.) and two Brachiopods 

 {StreptorhyncJms Chemimgensis var. pandora Hall, and Spirif 

 era gregaria Clapp), which have been identified for me by 

 Mr. Chas. D. Walcott of the U. S. Geological Survey. These 

 problematic organisms were first sent to Mr. Walcott under the 

 impression that they were foraminiferous shells; but as he 

 failed to recognize any foraminiferal characters and regarding 

 them as more probably of vegetable origin, he sent them to the 

 Department of Fossil Plants. 



The organisms under consideration are minute, spirally 

 grooved bodies from 1*50 to 1'80 mm. long and about 1*70 mm. 



* This Journal, III, xxxiii, 311. 



f Published by permission of the Assistant Secretary of the Smithsonian Insti- 

 tution. 



